Come Join Imagine Ballet Theatre for a Nutcracker Ballet Boutique on November 4th, 2011 at the Studios of Imagine Ballet Theatre 2432 Washington Blvd. Ogden Utah 84401 form 6:00 to 9:00 pm. The Art work of local artist Kris Wilson will be featured in studio.Please join us to find that special something for your dancer and or favorite person.

You will also be able to watch Nutcracker rehearsal during the event.

Kristina Wilson – Artist bio

Kris gets her inspiration by the challenge the work presents to her as an artist. The challenge may be in the composition, the contrast, lighting, the subject itself, or a combination of the above. Requiring this challenge ignites the spark that flames the passion she have as an artist. She strives to create a work of art that inspires you, intrigues you, speaks to you, and stirs emotion within you.

Having been selected to serve on the Ogden City Arts Council, Kris is currently serving her four year term. Also a member of Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionists’ Society.

It’s been three weeks since we began our Youth Impact (YI) ballet class. What a fun time we’ve had so far! Here’s some of what we’ve been working on.

The dancers practice grand battements at the barre

Barre

Each class, we begin with stretches and a standard ballet barre. Most of our YI students haven’t had any formal dance training, and for those who have it’s been many years. For these new dancers, we’re focusing on learning the “basics” of ballet positions, placement, and form. Later, we’ll add other aspects of ballet and dance in general.

Center

After barre, the dancers work in the center of the studio, now relying on their own balance and focusing more on moving their whole body. This week and last week, we learned about swinging movement. The dancers’ homework last week was to use the “swings” we practiced in class to make up their own dance. They could dance in their bedroom, in their yard, anywhere they wanted. Several of the students wanted to share their choreography this week during class – it was great! We love to see them thinking creatively and putting concepts together.

Adagio

We also talked about adagio this week during center. The girls were really apprehensive about moving so slowly and with their legs high in the air! But when it came to doing the adagio combination, they did great. No one fell over or stumbled, though afterward they said it was harder than it looked. This project is funded in part by the Weber Arts Council.

The art of Geri Magdiel and Stephen Hedgepeth will be featured in the Studio at Imagine Ballet Theatre for the Ogden Art Stroll on Friday October 7, 2011 from 6:00 to 9:00 pm.

In celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month. IBT would like to challenge you to donate art supplies for children and youth that are living at the Christmas Box House, which just celebrated it’s 15th Birthday. When these young people celebrate their own birthdays, their number one request is for art supplies. We are excited to have the opportunity to brighten the lives of these children.

Art supplies will be gathered at the October 7th Art Stroll at the Imagine Ballet Theatre Studio and then donated to the Christmas Box House. Thank you for helping us help others.

Geri Magdiel

Geri Magdiel is a self taught artist who grew up in Ogden, Utah. Shortly after high school, I moved to Seattle, Washington to attend the U. of W. I lived there for 28 years, raining my family. Making lifetime friendships and attending different schools throughout the years, including the School of Visual Concepts and an internship at a post production video company. It was at this point that I realized my calling was not in the technical arena but more in illustration and fine art. I also discovered that I was not going to get used to the weather the northwest offered and I moved back to Ogden into the same house I grew up in. I consider myself a self taught artist. As a child, I spent most of my time drawing and my favorite subject matter was and is still people. Most of my paintings in the early years were pastel. To me, it was the closest medium to drawing, (which was a comfort zone). I have always had an attraction to oil paintings so I decided that was where I belonged. It is a constant learning process. I never get bored with painting and I paint anything that is not moving, including furniture and murals. Throughout the years, I have exhibited in many galleries and art shows throughout Washington, Idaho, Utah, and California and have been fortunate to win several awards. My favorite artists are the impressionists, such as Monet, and more contemporary figurative impressionists, Pino, Don Hatfield, and Steve Hanks.

Stephen Hedgepeth

To the west were fields and farms and to the east the mountains. The Wasatch Range provided opportunities for hiking and exploring canyons. This variety of experiences helped Stephen develop a love and respect for nature.

“My goal is to lift the spirit of the veiwer beyond the physical idenity of the subject. This can be done by painting the essence of realism and not realism as detail. I endeaver to maintain a sense of place in the painting and stay grounded in organic forms. I lean towards tonalistic color harmony using a tapestry value system. The cycle of life and all the seasons of change in nature have a great influence on the art work that comes forth, be it any subject.”

“I hope people will enjoy a sense of mood from the paintings that come to me through my personal vision of space and form.”

“I am self-taught, and when I work directly from nature I seek for solutions through observations of images that constantly change with light and atmosphere. My on location paintings and studies form the catalyst for my studio paintings.”

Ogden, Utah, September 23, 2011: Imagine Ballet Theatre (IBT), an Ogden-based ballet company, will present A Night on the Town on October 15th at the Peery’s Egyptian Theater in Ogden. In conjunction with the performance, patrons may also attend the evening’s fundraiser held at the Ben Lomond Hotel preceding the show. Generous sponsors for this year’s performance and fundraiser include Jet Blue Airlines, the Ben Lomond Suites, Ogden 25th Street Association, Ogden City Arts, RAMP, and Haute Style Affaires. For A Night on the Town, Imagine Ballet Theatre will present several of their own works, as well as the works of other artists, world-renown choreographers, and performers from around the nation. Special guest choreographers include former Broadway star Gary Flannery, Utah Valley University faculty Angela Banchero-Kelleher and Amy Markgraf Jacobson, choreographer and costume designer Oswaldo Muniz, and IBT dancer Rachel Duffin. IBT Artistic Director Raymond Van Mason also presents pieces for the performance. Guest performances from Los Angeles Ballet dancers Allynne Noelle Stoller and Jonathan Sharp will also be on the program.

Imagine Ballet Theatre’s performances in A Night on the Town include some works choreographed by Raymond Van Mason: the world premiere of “Passing” and “Ashura,” the latter of which will be performed with the Ogden Buddhist Taiko Drum Company also on stage with the dancers. IBT dancer Rachel Duffin also makes her composer debut with her piece “Delusion All.

IBT Artistic Director Raymond Van Mason wanted to bring together local and national dance for this fall performance. Allynne Noelle Stoller and Jonathan Sharp of Los Angeles Ballet will perform a Utah premiere of the piece “Pathos” choreographed by Clinton Rothwell. Stoller is a former dancer with Inland Pacific Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and National Ballet of Canada. Jonathan Sharp trained at National Academy of the Arts and School of American Ballet. He danced professionally with Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and others. For A Night on the Town, Stoller and Sharp will also be performing the “Black Swan Pas de Deux” from Act III of Swan Lake.

Faculty from Utah Valley University are also presenting newly choreographed works for A Night on the Town.Angela Banchero-Kelleher, MFA, is an Assistant Professor of Modern Dance whose professional career spanned 20 years, 15 of which were with Utah’s Repertory Dance Theater. Banchero-Kelleher has also enjoyed teaching at Weber State University, Westminster College, The University of Utah, and Ohio University. She will present “Lacuna” with dancers from UVU, a piece supported by a Community of Engaged Learning grant, the UVU Dean’s Office, and UVU School of the Arts.

Broadway veteran Gary Flannery brings a new work to A Night on the Town with his jazz expertise in “Gershwin Meets Fosse” using IBT dancers. A veteran dancer of the professional stage himself, Gary Flannery was featured on Broadway in “Pippin” and “Dancin” with Bob Fosse, took both shows on their first tours, and was a featured principal dancer in the unforgettable movie “All That Jazz!” He toured the world with Shirley MacLaine, performing as her partner and co-choreographer in addition to performing in her three television specials. He has also worked in Hollywood with stars such as Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett, and Ann-Margret. A Balanchine and Juilliard scholarship winner, Flannery has danced with the Harkness Ballet, the Fred Benjamin Dancers in New York City, Les Grandes Ballet in Montreal, as well as in dozens of musicals and concert dance performances seen nationally and internationally. Distinguished dancers with whom Flannery has studied include not only Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon but also Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, Bertram Ross, Fred Benjamin, David Howard, and many others. His impressive teaching career of over thirty years has included stints at Steps Studio in New York City, University of Central Florida’s Conservatory Theatre, University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Northwestern University in Evanston, and Northern Illinois University in Dekalb among others.

Another outside choreographic influence to the program comes from New York City resident Oswaldo Muniz. Muniz trained at the School of American Ballet on full scholarship and went on to dance professionally as a Principal under Edward Villella in the Eglevsky Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma and Edward Villella and Dancers, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Chicago, and the Garden State Ballet. Muniz is also known for his incredible costumes, which have been featured in the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Imagine Ballet Theatre, worn by Olympic gold medal winner Sarah Huges, and in print such as Vogue Magazine and Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine. For A Night on the Town, Muniz presents the world premiere of his ballet “Twinkle” on dancers from Imagine Ballet Theatre, as well as his own designed and executed costumes.

For the 2011-2012 school year, IBT was awarded a grant from the Weber Arts Council to begin a class in collaboration with Ogden’s Youth Impact program. Today’s Youth Impact program is guided by an active Board of Trustees and motivated staff members who continue to mentor the youth at the highest level. From 2001-2008, the Youth Impact Program had maintained a constant enrollment of at least 150 participants. In January of 2008, Youth Impact began maintaining an enrollment over 200 youth. Their target population is directed to children who reside in Ogden’s inner-city limits; according to HUD, Ogden has two of the four poorest neighborhoods in the state.

This is an exciting opportunity for both IBT and Youth Impact as we begin bringing the classical art of ballet to students who might not otherwise have the opportunity. One of the most valuable experiences for a child is exposure to the arts. With school programs being cut due to a lack of funding resources, the arts must sometimes be brought to children from outside sources. Through this exposure to dance, the students will build confidence, express themselves, learn a new skill, and develop an appreciation for the arts.

Update from the barre:

Today’s class went very well! The students were excited and (maybe a little nervous!) to begin. We discussed attire, the proper behavior for during class, learned about the barre, stretches, plies, tendus, grand battement, and saute. The class was eager to learn and good at following directions. They were excitedly talking as they observed the other class in Studio 1, asking, “Will we be that good soon?” and “Look how pointed their toes are!”

Next week we’ll focus more on the structure of a typical ballet class while learning things about movement, ballet, and musicality.

“A Night on the Town Gala” Will be held this year on Oct 15th, 2011. The Event will take place at the Ben Lomond Suites and then move on to a performance at the Peery’s Egyptian Theater followed by dessert at the Imagine Ballet Theatre Studios. We hope that you will join us for this very exciting evening. The performance will include new work’s by choreographers Oswaldo Muniz, Gary Flannery, Angie Banchero Kelleher, Clinton Rothwell and Raymond Van Mason Imagine Ballet Artistic Director. The evening will Have Guest Artists from Los Angeles Ballet, Ogden’s Buddhist Taiko Drum Company and Dancers from Utah Valley University. The following businesses have donated items and or in kind things to help Imagine Ballet Theatre with rehearsal costs, costuming, guest performers and finally to perform in the beautiful Peery’s Egyptian Theater.

Ben Lomond Suites

Jet Blue Airlines

Kolh’s Department Stores

Macy’s Department Stores

Haute Style Affairs

Kiddie Kandids

iFly, Flowrider and iRock

Wiseguys

Farr & Company

Bed Bath and Beyond

Union Fermentation Station

Color Me Mine

Mindful Medical & Spa

Slavy

Art House Cinema 502

Snowflake Longarm Quilting

The Pie Pizzeria

BC Frames and Gallery

Puttin’ on the Glitz!

The artwork of Michelle Montierth

The artwork of Megan Montierth

The Oaks in Ogden Canyon

Basket for the Bath (Aoki Family)

Necklace and Earrings ( Aoki Family)

Jimmy’s Flowers

I am Ogden Book

J & J Garden Center

Allynne Noelle Guest Artist from Los Angeles Ballet and former Soloist with Miami City Ballet.

We’ve got a kickstarter project ready for funding! We hope you will help us get our shoes on the stage and orchestra in the pit for this year’s production of “The Nutcracker.” Live music is a vital component of our productions, but sometimes the cost outweighs our funds. With your help, we can make it happen this year! Please consider donating even a small amount to our cause. And remember, since it’s kickstarter, we won’t get anything unless the entire project is funded. Spread the word!